Magical★Explorer Chapter 22 - Shopping with Ludi

Shopping with Ludi
Well, why did I use shopping as an excuse?
In the first place, I was the one who mentioned the time to stop Claris-san from going berserk. Well, it’s still not that late since there are a lot of cars and people moving around.
The sky is all starry though.
I walk with Ludi on my side along the night street. On the contrary of me who faced a lot of failures today, Ludi looks like she is having fun. For a while now she keeps happily asking me “Hey, what is that?”. I don’t know why but it’s fine as long as she enjoyed it.
When her curiosity settled down, I decided to ask her the thing I was concerned about.
“Hey, what do you think Hatsumi-neesan was making?”
She stopped for a moment but immediately start walking again.
“………She said it herself, right? Umm, Uhh…Food?”
“When Ludi is cooking, do your clothes covered in something like fluorescent paint and colorant?”
Ludi is silent. The only sound that could be heard is our footsteps.
“…………………….Was it, a biological weapon?”
I was about to say “There’s no way that’s the case, right?” but…………
“……..I can’t deny that possibility.”
Heavy air enveloped the area. When a drunken passerby was about to collide with Ludi I switched places with her, then a hopeful word popped up in my mind.
“It might be edible.”
“Have you ever eaten anything mixed with fluorescent?”
Well.
“I wouldn’t want to put something like that into my mouth.”
“See?”
We keep walking with a heavy atmosphere until we arrive at our destination. It is the place that can be found everywhere, a convenience store. As a result of our discussion, we decided to come here as it is almost time for dinner.
“Have you ever visit a convenience store before, Ludi?”
“Don’t take me for a fool, I visited one before.”
So you only visited one? Even though the place has taken care of me more times than I can count when I was still in Japan.
She enters the store and walks around it brimming with curiosity. I already decided what to buy, so I went straight to that corner.
The [Cup Ramen] Corner.
I chose one that seems like it would be delicious among all the colorful ramen and put it into the basket then I take a look a Ludi.
She grabbed a women’s magazine that seems like what highschool girls nowadays are likely to read and flip through it. Seem like the content doesn’t really appeal to her, she is tilting her neck slightly to the side. I return my eyes to the Cup Ramen Corner and grabbed the most expensive one then put it into the basket.
When we left, I felt a little chilly as the cold wind touch my skin. If the coolness continues like this the blooming sakura wouldn’t scatter for a while, it will keep its beauty for a while longer.
“You sure bought a lot.”
She said as she looked at my bag.
“Well, it won’t trouble me even if I bought a lot, I can use it in case something happened after all.”
I bought so much that it could fill a large bag. On the contrary, there’s only a small bag in Ludi’s hand. I ask her while looking at her bag.
“What did you buy?”
“There is some curious candy, you see…….I unintentionally grabbed it.”
She took something out of her bag. Taking a closer look, it appears to be some cheap sweets.
“Ah, I ate a lot of that a long time ago, it was somehow addicting so I used to buy a lot.”
“Hee, was it delicious?”
“If it the same one as I (Ore) had that is.”
She tilted her head a little.
“Have you ever use (Ore) before?
I was stunned for a moment.
“Ah, sorry. You were so easy to talk to so… I was unconsciously using it.”
“Oh, then it’s fine to talk like that. Actually, it was the same for me too.”
She said that but, the me who has captured her many times before already noticed that.
“I see, then you don’t have to use honorifics with me. Just calling me by my name is fine.”
“Understood, I will be in your care, Takioto.”
“Oh, speaking of which, Ludi, you haven’t eaten many sweets before?”
“Haa? Of course, I have, why do you ask?”
“No, I thought that since I saw you staring at the sweets corner.”
Ludi whispered “ Aah “ and continue speaking while taking out sweets from her bag.
“You see, my house is a prestigious one with lots of history, right? I can’t visit such a store very often and when I am going to eat one, some nutritionist would stop me. That’s why I have so much fun today. I am also looking forward to eating this.”
Having said that, she raises the sweets in front of her face and smiled.
Ah, I see. The greater you are the more troublesome stuff you have to deal with, huh. She probably couldn’t visit a common store too much. Moving to Hanamura house is a chance for her to be freed and visit the place she wants.
“Okay, let me take you to an interesting store then.”
“Eh, you?”
She laughed while saying so.
“Aa, leave it to me. It hasn’t been long since I moved to this city but finding such a store is my specialty. It is me who keeps being told [You sure enjoying your life a lot] you know.”
“Fufu, What’s that. Are you trying to make me anxious instead? …….. Well, I will leave it to you. If you said that much then you have to entertain me properly, okay?”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
We were laughing as we walk toward the house.
We walk for a while after that. When we have almost arrived, I noticed something in my pocket, so I use my hand to take it out. When I did, something that felt like a string was entangled around my hand. I try touching it to figure out what it is.
“Ehhhhhhhh”
The moment I realized what it was I involuntarily shout while feeling something cold running through my spine.
“What’s wrong?”
“N, No, it’s nothing. I just remembered something.”
“Yeah? About what exactly?”
“It’s nothing important, don’t worry about it.”
“Hee.”
Ludi scrunched her eyebrows.
“If you say it like that I would get more curious about it, right?”
“S, Seriously, you don’t have to worry about it! Moreover, I think it is better to think about our dinner, right?”
When I said that, she dropped her shoulder.
“That’s true…..”
It is the expression of despair. The damage from that might be higher than our imagination so we may have to devote ourselves to evade the crisis. But now is not the time for that.
When we arrive at home I quickly separate from Ludi and rush to my room.
I closed the door behind me and take a deep DEEP breath.
Now then, how did this thing ended up in my pocket?
I put my hand into my left pocket. The string-like something touched my finger. If my assumption is correct then, it is not a shoelace, neither is it an earphone nor power cord. This thing is not mine in the first place.
I wrapped it around my finger and pull it out.
What appeared was a black string with a small piece of cloth…… Claris-san’s panty.
“Haha……..Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
I fell to my knees.
In a certain sense, a challenge tougher than Fermat’s last theorem has fallen into my hands.